Thinking about Mom’s – and making CSA membership convenient for them

Posted on May 14, 2018 by Connie

It’s Mother’s Day and I am remembering my mom and thinking about all the many mom’s I love – sister, DIL, SILs, and many friends – Happy Mother’s Day to you all!

One of the things that I know for a fact, is that Mom’s are very busy people. Most Mom’s are tirelessly trying to do the right thing for their family all the time. Just as the members of our CSA are doing by feeding their family the freshest, healthiest organic food possible.

Yellow Stonehouse Farm tries to do our part to support Mom’s and families. We do this by offering different membership options and pick-up days, and then match that with flexibility to make reasonable changes for vacations and conflicts.

Types of memberships – there are three types of memberships, sized to accommodate different size families and budgets, which all INCLUDE weekly Pick-Your-Own (PYO) vegetables and flowers (2 bouquets during high season), recipes and herbs:

The Every-Week Full CSA farm-share begins in June and lasts through October. It is the traditional weekly pick-up of freshly picked vegetables and farm fruits, sized to feed a family of four. This option is $650 for a season of USDA certified organic vegetables plus weekly PYO privileges.
The Every-Other Week Full CSA farm-share begins in June and lasts through October. Members pick-up of freshly picked vegetables and farm fruits every other week, each share sized to feed a family of four. The EOW share is perfect for singles, couples, or families with one child and works because the vegetables are so fresh they last the two weeks. The PYO option enables EOW members to pick vegetables every week so they can augment their share if desired. This share also cuts the number of trips to pick-up at the farm in half, saving time and money. This option is $450 for the season for USDA certified organic vegetables plus weekly PYO privileges.
The Sharing-a-Share option is available for both the Every-Week CSA farm share and the EOW CSA farm share. There is a small upcharge to share, as we increase the quantities of some vegetables to allow the easy splitting up of the veggies. For example, if we are giving out a single cabbage or watermelon, an item not easily split, we will round up the number to two, so that both sharers get an entire cabbage without having to divide or cut the vegetable in half. Like-wise, if we are giving out three tomatoes, we will round up the number to four, making sure that each sharer gets two.

The up-charge for Sharing the Every-Week farm share is $110.00, making the CSA cost for each sharer $380.00. The up-charge for the EOW share is $55.00, making the CSA cost for each sharer $252.50.

Many larger families and groups – those with 3-5 children or group homes – will also buy an augmented share to increase the quantity of produce in their share.

Pick-up Days and flexibility – There are four different pick-up days to allow members to pick the day that works best for them:

Weekdays Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 3:00 – 6:30 pm. These weekday timeslots work for pick-up’s after soccer or gymnastics or before t-ball, softball or baseball practice; it also works for the parent on their way home after work. And don’t worry, if something comes up or you have a conflict, you can send us an email – hopefully 24 hours in advance – to let us know you need to reschedule to another day.
Saturday from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. This weekend timeslot is often used by families who are coming to the farm as an excursion, picking vegetables, visiting with the farmers, or walking their dogs around the perimeter of the fields on deer patrol. And if you can’t make it that day, are going on vacation for a week and want to pick up your vegetables early to take along with you, we will be happy to accommodate you – hopefully with 24 hour notice.
Pick-Your-Own days and times are Tuesday through Saturday 9:00 am to 6:30 pm.

Payment Plan – YSF farm has a three payment plan to make the CSA farm share more affordable.

Yellow Stonehouse Farm wants to be your organic community vegetable farm – and we believe that providing customers with flexibility and convenience is one way to make it easier and more enjoyable to join. Hopefully, one of these options will work for you.

Due to the increased number of new members that have signed up for the 2018 season, we have modestly increased the number of shares available. Therefore, we now have a few more 2018 CSA farm-shares available for sign-up. CSA pick-ups are Wed., Thur., and Fri. from 3 – 6:30 pm and Saturdays from 9 am – 1:00 pm – so sign up soon. We are having our annual Open Farm Day on Saturday May 19^th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm and you are all invited. Please sign-up at the event listing on our Facebook Page or for more information email us at yellowstonehousefarmcsa@gmail.com.

A presentation on why Yellow Stonehouse Farm thinks organic is the way to go

Posted on March 5, 2018 by Connie

One would think that during the winter months, John and I would be relaxing and recharging our batteries. Well, to be honest, there is a certain amount of that – we do relish our snow days when we are “forced” to stay put and cuddle up with a good book and cup of hot chocolate.

This time of year we also attend to small domestic repairs and projects that make life better, but which get neglected during the busy growing months. This winter’s projects included replacing the kitchen faucet, installing new bead board around the shower, and getting the light over the kitchen sink repaired.

We also spend some time getting out into the community to talk about our farm, the CSA and why we are Organic Farmers. I had a wonderful experience yesterday with one such group, The Ramapogue Women’s Club of West Springfield. They are a group of lovely women from all around West Springfield, dedicated to raising money for academic scholarships for West Springfield graduating seniors. I gave a talk that covered CSAs, Growing Organically and some of the reasons why John & I think Organic Food is good for you. Here are a few slides from the presentation I gave.

It was an active and interesting group – and very flattering to receive such an enthusiastic response. Here’s another slide which they all found interesting!

The idea of eating different colored foods to ensure you are getting enough vitamins was one trick everyone seemed to like. And we all had fun with the concept of “You are what you eat” and “Food as Medicine” two concepts I plan to dedicate a lot time and thought to in the coming months.

If you or your group are interested in having Yellow Stonehouse Farm come talk to your group, club or school please contact us by email at yellowstonehousefarmcsa@gmail.com or call us at 413-562-2164.

Open Farm Day & Spring deluges

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Connie

First an announcement – Yellow Stonehouse Farm’s Open Farm Day is this Saturday, May 20^th from 10:00 till 2 pm. Everyone is invited to come, both members and those who are just curious about the farm. Come see us, pick up some asparagus or rhubarb and maybe a few wild greens.

Be careful what you wish for, is a saying my parents would send my way whenever I said I wanted something. Here’s another – When it rains it pours – usually referring to a deluge of problems not actual rain. Well – this Spring, it seems we are experiencing both an actual deluge, as well as problems, caused by way too much rain but also the end of the drought.

The pendulum swings: in 2016 we wished for rain; in 2017, not so much. Wish fulfillment is tricky. So, I am going to be careful, and not wish for an end to the rain – just a little decrease.

So – as you can see – we’ve been blessed with an over-abundance of rain this Spring and its causing a few issues with getting our crops in the ground. When It’s muddy like this we can’t plow, or get the beds ready or even walk around in the fields much.

During the bird walk last Sunday, our birders had to deal with 16 inches of water in the back pastures – making it difficult to get to certain bird habitats. The peas we planted in March are having a hard time, and we suspect that many of the seeds have rotted – which we will rectify this week by reseeding. Even picking the asparagus can be a bit tricky – I’ve lost a boot or two to the mud, resulting in very wet feet.

CSA pick-ups are still on schedule for an early June start through October, however.

Also – as a reminder, of the extra 27 spots we added, there are only a few remaining. We encourage everyone who is going to sign up for a share, to do so as soon as possible. We are planning and planting for the summer right now, and we need to know how many members we will have, to do so efficiently.

That’s the deal with a CSA – the farmer knows how many shareholders to plant for and can thus be as efficient as possible in how many seeds to order and grow and plant. It’s a win-win: for the member, who gets all sorts of wonderful produce and the farmer, who knows how much to grow due to a reliable customer base.

Though we still have a few organic CSA shares available, some pick-up days are filling up fast. Call us at 413-562-2164 or email us at the farm at yellowstonehousefarmcsa@gmail.com for more information or come visit during our Open Farm day this Saturday, May 20th between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.

Farm 2017 goals & pledges

Posted on January 12, 2017 by Connie

John and I just finished the first 2017 share distribution consisting of many root vegetables plus several recipes. A Yellow Stonehouse Farm CSA member, Melissa, made my coq aux vin recipe & posted a terrific picture of the dish on our Facebook page – see picture left. We are lucky – our CSA has many supporters & involved members – which brings me to our farm goals for 2017.

The foundation of our farm goals for 2017 is gratitude – which we will express by showing gratitude and returning kindness to members and supporters. We have much to be thankful for and will keep this top of mind in 2017 – and demonstrate by doubling down on appreciation for our members! So – Melissa, thank you for making the recipe and sharing it with us.

We also are excited and thankful to the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAP) for awarding us a matching enterprise grant of $10,000 for barn repairs and improvements. Not only are they helping us repair our 1840’s timber built barn, they are providing us with technical farm planning assistance.

Food trends are important to us so we were fascinated to see 2017 being touted as “vegetable-centric” and featured by many chefs, restaurants and cookbooks. Multi-colored vegetables are a big trend, with radishes usurping kale as the new favorite and squashes becoming the new favorite staple! All reasons for us to feel rather smug as last summer we anticipated these trends by growing many radishes, lots of colored vegetables and many types of squash – which we plan to duplicate in 2017!

Two more 2017 themes are Nourish and Nurture — realized through recipes encouraging health & wellness through food & herbalism. This is a labor of love, combining many interests and simultaneously enhancing the membership experience for the farm’s shareholders. We’re going to provide seasonal herbs as well along with information on health benefits and daily use as part of a healthy diet.

As an organic farm, we’re environmentally focused, and realize 2016’s drought was partly a result of the changing climate. In response, we have decided to become advocates for the protection of a scarce and precious resource – water. We are fortunate to have ample and accessible water – however, this can change anytime – so we’ll assert ourselves as stewards of these vulnerable resources. Westfield’s own water troubles are a red flag and we will be vigilant to protect the farm against contamination, pollution and climate impacts.

New research shows that organic farming – through crop diversity, cover cropping and low till practices – is one of the best ways agriculture can counter lack of rainfall versus monoculture’s susceptibility to drought. We will continue learning best practices to ensure our crops stay bountiful, delicious and healthy – despite droughts and other adverse conditions. And because we take our job of providing local organic food to our neighbors and members seriously, we plan to implement new ways of providing vegetables to more CSA members in 2017.

Finally, we pledge to share our farm – and the chance to relax and enjoy the lovely fields, hills and dales, smell the newly turned soil and mowed grass, watch the bees, birds & butterflies, revel in the beauty of the flowers, grasses and trees, and taste a freshly picked tomato or snap pea. We invite you to slow down and be mindful of the miracle of our planet, the farm’s place on it and how wonderfully amazing nature is.

Practicing mindfulness – being aware of your thoughts, emotions, & experiences on a moment-to-moment basis – is something you can do anywhere, but we invite you to do so here, at Yellow Stonehouse Farm.

On Being Organic – What it takes to get USDA Certified Organic

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Connie

In the last two columns I’ve laid out the reasons why Yellow Stonehouse Farm became a USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Certified Organic Farm and CSA. This week I’m writing about what it takes to become certified! You see, being USDA Certified Organic is a lot more than just saying your farm is organic.

To become USDA certified Organic, farms have to prove they have been following organic practices for 3 years. For that entire time, we had to maintain records on everything purchased and used at the farm as evidence it was either approved by the USDA or certified organic itself (i.e. seeds, compost, fertilizers, etc.), so that our crops in turn could become a certified organic product. In order for our vegetables to be organic, our entire supply chain has to be organic. Then – to get the certification – we have to complete a series of forms and affidavits attesting that our operation conforms to USDA organic regulations and prove everything we used was organic, and finally, submit to an examination by a “Certifier”, in our case Baystate Organic Certifiers.

If you think this sounds like a paperwork nightmare, you’re right! Becoming USDA Certified Organic is a painstaking process, requiring detailed paperwork and bookkeeping on top of working to find organic suppliers, and not using chemical short cuts to increase productivity (herbicides) and eliminate pests and disease (pesticides and fungicides).

Perhaps the most exasperating component of the process is the fee to become certified! In addition to the many hours of labor required for documentation and filing (which we figure is worth around $2000.00), we also had to pay an initial certification fee of over $1000.00 and then an annual re-certification fee every year thereafter. Isn’t it ironic that the farmers using healthy and sustainable practices have to pay a fee – while those who are using pesticides, insecticides and farm without regard for sustainability, don’t have to pay anything.

Despite the cost and time, being USDA Certified Organic is something we are proud of. Our certification provides our customers confidence that the vegetables we grow meet a set of organic criteria confirmed by an outside agency. We want a farm safe for us, our workers, members and the bees, butterflies, birds and animals we share the land with. We think the USDA Organic certification process provides the assurance that our vegetables are safe and healthy – not to mention delicious.

Yellow Stonehouse Farm CSA

Coexisting Harmoniously with the Native Wildlife

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